Day’s Gap Battlefield, site of a critical Civil War battle in Morgan and Cullman counties, Alabama, remains much as it was 150 years ago and still holds significant natural value in addition to historic importance.  The Fund helped preserve this historic site by acquiring 82 acres and transferring it to the battlefield.

Day’s Gap was the site of a significant battle in April of 1863. Union Colonel Abel D. Streight and his 1,500-man brigade were sent on a cavalry raid to destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad in western Georgia and to divert Confederate Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his cavalry while Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant moved his troops down the Mississippi River. On April 30 at Day’s Gap on Sand Mountain, Streight ambushed one of Forrest’s columns and captured two of his guns. On May 3 Forrest bluffed the exhausted Union force into surrendering, but Streight’s raid was successful in keeping Forrest away from the Mississippi River while Grant landed his forces on the east bank of the Mississippi River and launched his Vicksburg Campaign.

Time Magazine’s “Living The Civil War”

This video from Time and photographer Gregg Segal shows how development has affected Civil War battlefields today. View the video on Time's website.

Learn More 

Our Civil War Battlefield Conservation Efforts
Places We Save: Historic Lands